Sandlot - Gift Set (1993)

A double bill of classic coming-of-age baseball stories is presented here, including:THE SANDLOT: It's 1962, and young Scotty Smalls has just moved to town with his mom, his stepfather, and his desire to make friends in his new home. But when he heads to the local sandlot he's laughed off the field in his awkwardness until the leader of the gang, Benny Rodriguez, takes him under his wing. Soon the boys become the best of friends, and "Smalls," as he is dubbed, is introduced to a cast of funny and unique characters; their summer adventures include treehouse sleepovers, encounters with a beautiful lifeguard, and of course, baseball. But when Smalls hits his first home run it is a Pyrrhic victory, as his stepfather's ball, autographed by Babe Ruth, lands in the adjoining lot which is guarded by "The Beast," a dog rumored to have once eaten a kid. The kids have some hilarious adventures and unexpected results in their efforts to regain the ball before Smalls' stepfather finds out it's missing, making this a film the whole family will enjoy.THE SANDLOT 2: The gang returns in this sequel to the original SANDLOT classic. A decade has passed, and 1972 sees a new generation of young baseball enthusiasts gathering. Saul Samuelson (Cole Evan Weiss, WALKING ACROSS EGYPT) and five of his friends have reluctantly agreed to let three girls join their team, as their secret weapons against their unbeatable rivals. Saul is a witty, smart kid who translates for his hearing-impaired little brother, Sammy "Fingers" Samuelson, who keeps up a constant running commentary via sign language. Things are going well for the team, until the model spaceship belonging to one of the girl's father's accidentally ends up on the other side of the fence. And who should be keeping residence over there but the intimidating Mr. Mertle (James Earl Jones, THE ANNIHILATION OF FISH) and his dog, "the beast." Once again the kids have to devise a method for regaining their lost property before their parents find out, and avoid the child-eating canine in the meantime.